Tag Archives: woman

He left the glory of heaven to come into our world. He was willing to rearrange His life so that He could come here and live and walk among us. He traded in His majesty for our humanity. He left His home to come to a place where He had nowhere to lay His head. He left the adoration of the angelic host to come to a world that did not know Him and to His own who did not receive Him.

He left everything to come into a world that was plunged in darkness, filled with sorrow, sickness, hurt, violence and pain. Why? Why did He come? Would you come to a place where you would be rejected, unappreciated, opposed and despised? He did. Would you reach out to people who are always trying to trap you and challenge everything you say or do? He did. Would you wash the feet of the man who would betray you and share bread with him? He did. Would you forgive the man who denied three times that he knew you? He did. What about those who spat on you, mocked you and wanted you dead, would you forgive them? He did.

Why would Jesus subject Himself to such improprieties? It’s simple. Love. He did it all for love. Love for the Father and love for us.

Love filled His heart as He walked the streets, touching, healing and ministering to people. Love filled His heart as He drove the demons out so that the person was in his right mind again. Love filled His heart as He gave sight to the blind, made the lame walk and the dumb speak. It was love that filled His heart when He touched the leper instead of just speaking the healing. His word was just as powerful as His touch but He chose to touch the untouchable.

It was love which prompted Him to forgive the paralyzed man because He saw the man’s true need. Everyone saw his physical need but Jesus saw his spiritual need and He responded to it. It was love that made Him encourage the widow of Nain not to weep before He touched her son’s dead body, giving him life again.

It was love that broke down barriers when He offered salvation to the Samaritan woman at the well and healed the daughter of the Greek woman. Jews had nothing to do with Samaritans (John 4:9). There was animosity between the two groups. And women were not highly regarded. In fact, when a Jewish man started off his day with prayer, he thanked God that he was neither a Gentile, a slave, or a woman. Gentiles were seen as in a very unfavorable light. They were seen as unclean or common (Acts 10:28). It was unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with them or go to their homes. So, these two women had two strikes against them–their nationalities and their gender. Yet, to Jesus these things didn’t matter. He loved them and wanted to offer them what the world couldn’t.

It was love that made Him call the woman with the bleeding problem, “Daughter” and offer her words of encouragement. He wanted to assure her that her faith had made her well. And it was love that made Him look up at the despised tax collector up in the tree and invite Himself to his home for food and fellowship. It was in love that He reached out the unreachable, the unloved, the discarded, the neglected and the undesirables. His love knew no boundaries, no barriers. It was freely given but not always received or returned.

It was love for you and me that made Him endure the insults, the whipping and finally the Cross. He bore the indignity of being nailed to a tree between two thieves, treated like a criminal although He had done nothing wrong. Yet, He did all of this so that believe in Him should not perish but have everlasting life and that the world through Him might be saved.

Love came down to save a perishing world.

And I, if I am liftedup from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself – John 12:32

When my father and my motherforsake me, Then the LORD will take care of me – Psalm 27:10

For most parents, it is love at first sight when they see their newborn. Not so for baby Jansi. When her father saw her, instead of feeling love toward her, he felt shame. As he looked down into that tiny face, he didn’t see a beautiful baby. He saw a baby who wasn’t pretty, was too skinny and not looking right. The doctor concurred that she was abnormal. Jansi’s father didn’t want an abnormal baby nor did his wife. Filled with disgust, he threw the 2 day old baby in the dumpster and the couple walked away, not looking back nor shedding a tear.

Baby Jansi lay in the garbage, wailing until two arms reached into the dumpster and drew her out. Those arms belonged to a woman named Pranaya Chopra. Pranaya worked as a tutor to help the children with their academics at Gospel for Asia (GFA) supported Bridge of Hope center. Pranaya learned through preaching at Church and reading the Word that children are a gift from God. It was Pranaya’s sister who had Jansi and when Pranaya discovered she and her husband had tossed their newborn daughter into the dumpster, she went and found her.

Pranaya took the baby girl home with her and named her Jansi. Pranaya and Jansi’s grandparents cared for her and nursed her to health. To the Jansi, Pranaya was “mother.” Pranaya was there when the little girl crawled and when she became a toddler. She was there every step of the way, showing this abandoned child how much she loved her. When Pranaya got married, Jansi remained a part of the family, even when the couple had a child of their own. For Pranaya, “It is a great blessing for me to adopt my sister’s daughter into my family.”

When Jansi became school-aged, she was enrolled in Bridge of Hope. School work was difficult for Jansi but with the help of the staff, she soon improved. Jansi thrived and her biological parents saw how well she was doing and their attitude toward her changed. They wanted her back. They saw their daughter the way God and Pranaya did–a precious gift to be loved and cherished. It made it easier for Pranaya when she and her family had to move away. She knew that Jansi would be well cared for and safe with her parents.

Jansi lives with her parents and two younger siblings. She continues to attend Bridge of Hope center where she is learning about Jesus’ love for her and doing well in her studies. Her mother attends the monthly parents’ meeting at Bridge of Hope where she hears about Jesus. What a wonderful end to what started out as a very sad story. Although baby Jansi was discarded by her parents, God had plans for her life. He rescued her from the dumpster and placed her in the care of a woman who loved her as if she were her own daughter.

This story has taught me that we must never discard anyone because of their appearance, gender, culture or race but love them as Jesus does. He died for them too. He died for the unloved, unwanted, abandoned and rejected. It is His desire that they too may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly (John 10:10). Thanks to Him, Jansi is now enjoying a life filled with hope and joy and tremendous blessings.

For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’swomb – Psalm 139:13.

I want to be there for all those who are left behind in this world, whether it’s because they are born poor, born a woman or born in an area affected by devastation.

Just recently I heard that Bond girl (Tomorrow Never Dies) and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Malaysian actress, Michelle Yeoh was named UN Goodwill Ambassador. Michelle was in Nepal in April 2015 when the earthquake struck. That experience fueled the desire to use her influence to bring awareness to disaster recovery efforts. Not surprisingly, in her new role as Goodwill Ambassador, she will focus disaster recovery as well as global development.

Notes to Women congratulate Michelle on her new and exciting position which will allow her to pursue gender equality and fight against poverty.

I saw this incredible story a few moments ago. It is about Swapna Augustine, a woman from born in Kerala, India who was born without arms. She uses her feet to paint and makes a living from selling her artwork. What amazed me about this story was the dream her father had of her before she was born.

Swapna is an inspiration for all us because she refuses to be let her disability define or inhibit her.

Swapna is a member of the Mouth and Foot Painting Artists. You can check out her work here.

Alice Ball was the pharmaceutical chemist who developed a medical treatment for Leprosy, giving hope to millions. Leprosy is a dreaded disease. It has been around since biblical times. It is disfiguring and it filled its sufferers with hopelessness. In the US people with Leprosy were forcibly removed from their homes and detained indefinitely in remote colonies. Thanks to Alice’s treatment, many of them were released from the detention centres and allowed to go home to their families.

Alice was born in 1892 in Seattle, Washington to Laura and James P. Ball Jr. She was the grand-daughter of J.P. Ball, the famous daguerreotype photographer. Alice attended the University of Washington and graduated with two degrees in pharmaceutical chemistry in 1912 and pharmacy in 1914. In the fall of 1914 she attended the College (later the University) of Hawaii as a graduate student in chemistry. On June 1, 1915, she became the first African American and the first woman to graduate with a Master of Science degree in chemistry from the University of Hawaii. She was also the first woman to teach chemistry at the institution.

Impressed with her chemistry work, US Public Health Officer, Dr. Harry Hollmann, an assistant surgeon at Kalihi Hospital in Hawaii asked Alice to help him to develop a method to isolate the active chemical compounds in chaulmoogra oil. For centuries, Indian and Chinese health practitioners had limited success in using the oil to treat Leprosy. The oil could be applied topically but it wouldn’t be able to penetrate deep enough into the body and as a result, people with the disease had some relief but the injections were difficult and patients described them as “burning like fire through the skin”. Through her research, Alice found a successful treatment for those suffering from the disease. She created the first water soluble injectable treatment, something that researchers had been unable to do.

Sadly, she didn’t live to see her treatment being used. During her research, Alice had become ill. When she returned to Seattle, she died at the age of 24. The cause of her death is unknown although it is speculated that she inhaled chlorine gas during her teaching lab work.

Dr. Arthur L. Dean, the chairman of the Chemistry Department at the University of Hawaii continued the research, refining it and using it to successfully treat many patients at Kalaupapa, a special hospital for Hansen disease patients. Dean published the findings without giving any credit to Ball, and renamed the technique the Dean Method, until Hollmann spoke out about this. He went on record saying, “After a great amount of experimental work, Miss Ball solved the problem for me…(this preparation is known as)….the Ball Method.”

The “Ball Method” continued to be the most effective method of treatment for Leprosy until the 1940s when a cure for the disease was found. Yet, as recent as 1999, a medical journal noted that the “Ball Method” was still being used to treat patients in remote areas. In 2000, the University of Hawaii acknowledged Alice as one of its most distinguished graduates after researchers, notably Stanley Ali and Kathryn Takara. They discovered in the archives the critical contribution Alice had made. Alice was honoured with a Chaulmoogra tree planted on the campus and the Governor of Hawaii declaring February 29th Alice Ball Day. She also received the University’s Medal of distinction.

Notes to Women is proud to celebrate and recognize Alice Ball whose research and ground-breaking scientific achievements went unnoticed by the University of Hawaii for almost a decade. We honour this remarkable young woman who departed from the world too soon. She left behind a legacy of hope for those who suffered from Leprosy by starting the fight against the disease and inspiring others to relentlessly hunt for more treatments until they found a cure.

It is easy to give up when we have been praying for something for a long time but it seems like God is not answering our prayers. We keep on asking Him for the same things but nothing seems to be happening. We become discouraged and stop asking.

Jesus once told His disciples a story about a persistent widow. Jesus wanted to illustrate their need for constant prayer and to show them that they must never give up. “There was a judge in a certain city,” he said, “who was a godless man with great contempt for everyone. A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, appealing for justice against someone who had harmed her. The judge ignored her for a while, but eventually she wore him out. `I fear neither God nor man,’ he said to himself, `but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!’ ”

Then the Lord said, “Learn a lesson from this evil judge. Even he rendered a just decision in the end, so don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who plead with him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when I, the Son of Man, return, how many will I find who have faith?” (Luke 18:1-8)

God does not want us to give up just because we are not getting results. In His own time, He will answer our requests. If we really and truly want something, we will continue to pray about it. The widow really wanted justice so she continued asking for it and she got it. She didn’t get discouraged when she didn’t get it right away. The judge tried to ignore her but she persisted until she wore him out. God will grant us what we ask for. He will not keep putting us off like the judge.

Jesus wants us to keep the faith. He wants us to pray without ceasing. He wants us to be like the persistent widow. Don’t give up on God. He will answer your requests in due time.

I saw this on CTV Newschannel here in Toronto just earlier today and had to blog about it. Gloria Steinem and Madeleine Albright rebuked young women for supporting Bernie Sanders and their bid to to turn the tide in favor of Hilary Clinton has backfired. Their outrageous remarks have offended many, including Zoe Trimboli, a feminist who supports Sanders. “Shame on Gloria Steinem and Madeleine Albright for implying that we as women should be voting for a candidate based solely on gender. I can tell you that shaming me and essentially calling me misinformed and stupid is NOT the way to win my vote.”

Dana Edell, Executive Director of SPARK Movement, a gender justice advocacy group, said, “While the historic aspect of the first woman president is hugely powerful and important and would set a really powerful image for young boys and girls to look up to, she might not be the right first woman.”

I agree that while it would be a historic moment for Hilary Clinton to become the first female Commander in-Chief much as it was when Barack Obama became the first African American to take that Oval office, women should not vote for Hilary Clinton simply because she is a woman but because they believe that of all the candidates, she is the most qualified or the best choice to run the country.

Some feminists, like Steinem and Albright want to see Hilary in office, regardless of whether or not she is the right choice. They want her there because she is a woman. Albright talks about the importance of electing a woman to the country’s highest office but what about electing someone who is competent and who will be president for ALL Americans. I have always believed that some feminists make feminism a hindrance rather than a help in the fight for equality. Here are two icons causing divisiveness and undermining feminism because they are dictating how women should vote.

What sort of message are Steinem and Albright sending to young girls when they say that if women vote for a man they go to hell because they are not helping a female candidate? Or if they vote for a man they are doing it because they want to be where the boys are? This looks bad on women. It’s sending the message that we vote with our emotions rather than with our heads. Albright talks about women’s equality but what about the young women’s right to vote for whom they want, regardless of gender, race or age? I have never seen a campaign where people are urged to vote for a candidate because he is a man. Feminists would be up in arms if that were to ever happen. So, when it comes to equality, a candidate should be voted for based on his or her merit and not on gender. Wouldn’t putting the right person in the Oval office be a true revolution, even if that person turns out to be Bernie Sanders? I am not a feminist but as a woman, I am offended by the thought that Hilary Clinton who is running for the presidency, should be entitled to the female vote. I would vote for the most competent person to run the country.

As feminists, Steinem and Albright should focus on areas of inequality and leave the younger generation to vote as they choose. True feminism is not about forcing people to do what you want them to do or to do as you do but it is allowing people to make their own informed choices, even if you don’t agree with them. That’s what America is all about, isn’t it?